Yesterday I needed to decalcify my espresso machine’s steam wand so I was delving into the manual online to see how much vinegar to use. I came across this recipe which looked very interesting. Obviously heavy on using espresso. I have made Tiramisu but never baked with espresso or used it in frosting. I was intrigued by the use of olive oil, lemon, cinnamon, nuts and coffee in a muffin, so I decided to try it this morning.
These tasted pretty good! My husband’s response was there was too much frosting. Well, it wasn’t the frosting! They were undercooked. The recipe said 12 to 15 and I cooked them 15 minutes. Still they had a gooey part in the middle that melded with the frosting. Not good unless you like that kind of thing. I ate it anyway and liked the flavors. The lemon zest created an interesting flavor combination with the cinnamon and coffee. The nuts added a nice texture being kind of chunky. The frosting was yummy! I decided to put the other 4 back in the oven to see if I could cook them the rest of the way and get rid of the gooey middle. I ended up cooking them about 12 more minutes. I think that was because they had to heat up all the way again and then cook. They still were dense and moist, not dry at all. The second I ate was much better! They are very rich in flavor and something you wouldn’t want to eat all the time. I was definitely feeling the kick from the espresso while I started into my 3rd muffin. Not sure how many calories these have so I decided to stop there.Overall, I am glad I tried these. I would make them again sometime. If you are interested in making these yourself, the recipe is sideways on the last picture.